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Revisiting ReBoot, Initial Thoughts on ReBoot: The Guardian Code “Season” 1

Fans have waited and waited with anticipation for a conclusion to the first ever fully CGI television show known as Reboot. This show which may have started out as just a “kids show”, became something much more for its fans who were literally growing up as the characters did. Enter Reboot: The Guardian Code, which made its premiere on Netflix only in the USA and recently premiered in Canada (where it originated on YTV.

This hybrid life action meets CGI is what is being advertised as a new Reboot for a new generation. Looking much more like Power Rangers the only thing that seems to link this show to the original Reboot is the use of the term “Guardians ” and the Guardian icon in its logo and oh Megabyte (more on him later).

Four teens are picked by V.E.R.A (Virtual Evolutionary Recombinant Avatar ) to become the newest defenders of cyberspace…

Each episode the main villain is not Megabyte but a human hacker known only as “The Sorcerer”. After being thwarted by The Guardian Code in the first episode he hacks into what looks like Mainframe’s source code to find something “useful” and finds green code which is, Megabyte.

We get a very brief glimpse of the original Megabyte from Season 1 before he became his Trojan Horse version. At the press of a button he is “upgraded ” into the supposedly new and improved version.

 

 

 

His design is comical at best. I get it, new show new target audience but why bother making an original Megabyte model? You also made the poor guy nose-less. Now Tony Jay sadly is no longer with us but his new voice actor makes him tolerable, so kudos to great casting. Megabyte was an incredible character and formidable villain. When he is brought face to face with The User aka Sorcerer he is shocked to find out he is under his control. The Sorcerer can literally delete him by pushing the delete code which he snuck into Megabyte’s programming. Basically Megabyte has become his pawn… for now.

Now gone are Bob, Dot and Enzo (we don’t see them till episode 10 actually ) and they only make a small cameo appearance to appease its original fan base. The episode is titled “Mainframe Mayhem” and is probably the only other thing that connects it to where we left off . Sadly we learn Mainframe has been offline for 20 years and is finally reactivated by a simple “Reboot” switch that’s activated from Room Zero aka the Guardians HQ. The reappearance of Dot’s Diner , Bob. Dot and Young Enzo leaves much to be desired . They don’t look like themselves nor act like themselves. The only good thing is the original voice actors Michael Bayner and Kathleen Barr reprise their roles and Shirley Milner makes a surprise appearance as Hexadecimal!!

Of course the new Guardians find themselves face to face with our original heroes only to have a game-cube drop in. Back in the real world the Mainframe User we finally meet is supposedly a huge fan of the original Reboot. His basement is basically a shrine to it and he even sports the Reboot Revival shirt.

Now this guy who makes the key statement of how Mainframe is back online takes out “Starship Alcatraz” (aka a fake Sega Genesis game) from a briefcase and pops it in.

Back inside the game the new Guardians and Bob learn they have to win or its “game over”. When they try to Reboot like Bob they can’t… what a letdown.

The User is excited that he finally may win only to be thwarted by one of the guardians who remembers a cheat code.

For an episode that was supposed to be such a draw for old and new fans it did anything but excite them, it downright mocked them and pretty much ignored where we left off.

Yes seeing Hex team up with MB was a plus but can it improve from here in the next ten episodes ? We are awaiting them to continue to air here in Canada on YTV this month so stay tuned for a follow-up on “Season 2”. Will we see more Hex? I hope so!!

Only time will tell if this Rebooted Reboot will continue to upgrade itself or just be another sad spin-off.

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